Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Puntarenas Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Puntarenas

😐 Solo nomad: Playa del Carmen is 19.4% more expensive than Puntarenas without rent, and 1.2% cheaper with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 4.5% cheaper than Puntarenas without rent, and 14.7% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.85 MX$209

$7.26 ₡3,413

63.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.16 MX$744

$59.9 ₡28.2K

-29.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.75 MX$190

$9.24 ₡4,346

16.34%

Cappuccino

$3.47 MX$61.3

$3.82 ₡1,797

-9.16%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.45 MX$25.65

$2.07 ₡972

-29.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.90 MX$15.93

$1.66 ₡780

-45.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.05 MX$53.9

$2.96 ₡1,394

3.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.42 MX$77.9

$4.62 ₡2,171

-4.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.37 MX$24.17

$1.97 ₡925

-30.46%

White Bread (500g)

$1.87 MX$33.05

$2.81 ₡1,322

-33.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 MX$27.25

$2.03 ₡954

-24.14%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$44.18

$2.27 ₡1,068

10.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.61 MX$152

$3.32 ₡1,563

159.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.63 MX$152

$7.80 ₡3,670

10.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.02 MX$195

$8.75 ₡4,114

25.94%

Apples (1kg)

$2.75 MX$48.53

$3.56 ₡1,676

-22.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 MX$25.21

$0.99 ₡465

44.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.87 MX$33.05

$1.17 ₡551

59.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.17 MX$38.26

$1.33 ₡627

63.16%

Potato (1kg)

$1.88 MX$33.23

$1.59 ₡749

18.24%

Onion (1kg)

$2.25 MX$39.65

$1.62 ₡760

38.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 MX$18.85

$0.82 ₡385

30.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 MX$18.95

$1.91 ₡897

-43.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.15 MX$73.3

$4.56 ₡2,143

-8.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.34 MX$182

$7.66 ₡3,604

34.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.68 MX$29.64

$1.63 ₡765

3.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.48 MX$43.84

$2.39 ₡1,124

3.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$9.80

$0.95 ₡449

-42.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.53 MX$468

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.22 MX$56.8

$1.87 ₡881

72.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.48 MX$43.80

$1.80 ₡846

37.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.11 MX$54.9

$7.95 ₡3,738

-60.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.26 MX$22.16

$1.31 ₡615

-3.82%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$30.7K MX$541.1K

$38.4K ₡18.1M

-20.17%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$24.0K MX$424.3K

$16.8K ₡7.9M

42.79%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$82.5 MX$1,456

$50.5 ₡23.7K

63.46%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$22.29 MX$393

$19.56 ₡9,199

13.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.02 MX$530

$24.11 ₡11.3K

24.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.4 MX$908

$57.7 ₡27.1K

-10.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.29 MX$323

$23.83 ₡11.2K

-23.25%

Cinema Ticket

$4.98 MX$88.0

$10.05 ₡4,724

-50.45%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$200 MX$3,530

$579 ₡272.3K

-65.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,304 MX$93.6K

$12.9K ₡6.1M

-58.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$35.71 MX$630

$23.83 ₡11.2K

49.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.56 MX$698

$15.94 ₡7,495

148.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.6 MX$1,422

$128 ₡60.1K

-36.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.3 MX$1,559

$46.91 ₡22.1K

88.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$969 MX$17.1K

$766 ₡360.4K

26.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$482 MX$8,511

$588 ₡276.4K

-17.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,595 MX$28.2K

$1,488 ₡699.9K

7.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,184 MX$20.9K

$975 ₡458.6K

21.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,050 MX$71.5K

$966 ₡454.2K

319.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,522 MX$115.1K

$636 ₡298.9K

926.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$756 MX$13.4K

$934 ₡439.0K

-18.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.42

90.33%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Playa del Carmen: March 3, 2026

Last update for Puntarenas: March 2, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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